The Lexus LFA may no longer be in production, but versions of the car are still being developed for motorsport use. The latest is the Lexus LFA Code X, which was developed together with Gazoo Racing and will compete in this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. This will be the seventh running of the LFA in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, with the Japanese supercar’s inaugural appearance taking place in 2008 when it was still a prototype.

Lexus calls the LFA Code X a research vehicle designed to aid development of future sports car technologies, so perhaps we could see some elements from it used on new models from the Toyota and Lexus brands.

Compared to the original LFA's 4.8-liter V-10, the LFA Code X gets a 5.3-liter engine. No figures are given, but the engine’s peak power and torque are said to have been fine-tuned to better suit the Nürburgring course. The car also features a full carbon fiber monocoque, which has been implemented to boost rigidity while reducing weight.

The car will compete in the SP8 class for production-based cars with naturally aspirated engines displacing more than 4.0 liters.

In addition to its LFA, Toyota and Gazoo Racing will also compete with racing versions of the GT 86 (Scion FR-S). The Nürburgring 24 Hours has been an excellent proving ground for the GT 86, with Gazoo Racing’s car winning its SP3 class in previous years.

This year’s running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, including practice and qualifying, will take place from June 19-22.